Categories: Exotics

Ferrari. Aspen. For decades the two terms have been linked by a simple concept: the glamorous and the wealthy. Those with money and fame have long loved their Ferraris and have long loved winter retreats in the U.S. capital of snow and riches.

With the introduction of the Ferrari FF Grand Tourer, there's now a new link between the Prancing Horse and Aspen: all-wheel drive. Yes, all-wheel drive is more than just a performance-enhancing nicety in the Roaring Fork Valley; it's a near-necessity in the winter months. So, it's no surprise that Ferrari will use Aspen as the background for a winter driving course being offered to FF customers.

Rolls-Royce had a problem. Turns out that so many of the people that bought new Rollers wanted to spend untold riches right away on “personalising”—as the Brits say (or at least spell)—those cars that the firm couldn’t keep up.

And as Rolls-Royce isn’t about to turn away (over)paying customers, what else could they do other than expand the operation that handles such matters. Known in Rolls-speak as “Bespoke,” it is the department that converts your cubic Dollars, Pounds, Euros, etc. into the customized—I mean personalised—Rolls-Royce of your dreams.

Lotus is teetering on the brink of a head-to-toe revamp. The company has five new models in store for the next few years, and will make a strong move upmarket. While its new models will be the most visible part of this revamp, older models will also be taking a step in a new direction. According to recent reports, the Exige will be getting a little more aggressive, both inside and out.

The 1.8-liter Toyota inline four that powers the current Exige and Elise went out of production last year. The next-generation Exige will therefore have to look elsewhere for motivation. It will reportedly find its engine in the 3.5-liter Toyota V-6 from the Evora. As such, the model will get wider and longer, as can be seen in the zebra-camoed prototype snapped in Hethel.

Public service has never been a glamorous life. You either work hard for relatively low pay or you take bribes and defraud the public, get caught and go to jail. Police officers, for instance, are likely to be seen driving around in a nondescript Ford or Chevy both on-duty and off. Not exactly the "high life.” But every once in a while, police forces get a taste of the good life by getting high-tech, sporty cars to use for patrol. The Italian military police known as Arma dei Carabinieri is the latest force to have a couple sweet rides in its ranks.

Lotus donated two specially outfitted Evora S models to the police force for its Rome and Milan units. Like any good police cars, these two Lotus cruisers have all the mandatory equipment: lights, communications equipment, and a voice-recognition system called Enhanced Vehicle Automation. Because these are more than your average patrol car, each car also comes with a refrigerated compartment in the rear, designed to keep organs on ice during transport. Presumably, it could also keep the officers' soda or iced cappuccino cold when they have to unexpectedly run out on a bust—assuming that drinking something out of the organ cooler is kosher with the officer(s) in question.

There are fast cars out there—sure a WRX is quick or even a BMW 335is, perhaps. Then there are really fast cars—a Corvette Grand Sport or Shelby GT 500 both fit that bill. But even beyond those cars lie another realm of speed that is reserved for the truly remarkable examples of machinery made to move.

Steve Saleen had always been a man who took fast cars and turned them into really fast cars. A simple Mustang became an S281 or an even more potent S351, and Saleen quickly became legendary in the tuner community. But, there were always questions as to whether or not Steve Saleen could build a car of his own. So Saleen attempted to put those questions to rest and put all of his amassed tuning know-how into building a supercar from the ground up, catapulting his namesake into the highest echelon of road-going automobiles on the planet.

A luxury grand tourer with off-road ability. Nothing too revolutionary there, but it's likely to be a bit of a mish-mosh as a company tries to inject luxury and refinement into a hard-nosed, off-road-ready package. The stage is set for a Frankenstein-like vehicle, and Italian coachbuilder Fornasari acts out the play in superb fashion.

Fornasari's RR99 is essentially a luxury crossover, designed to deliver comfort and appeal within a capable package. The thing about this car is that the package is a collage of parts and styling from around the world. The car shares taillights with Lamborghini, a hood and headlamps with Aston Martin, and stacked exhaust tips with Lexus.

It's a true Frankenstein if ever we've seen one, and it doesn't necessarily pull it off. That gaping mouth, for instance, just isn't really the place that you want to see the curvy hood end. And the rear quarter is not necessarily something you want to see on any car, ever.

When we first laid eyes on that curvy, rouge two-seater known as the Alfa Romeo 4C, it was impossible not to think 'Damn, I hope that's one of the models that Alfa/Fiat will bring to the United States when they return to the market.' Alfa didn't leave that question lingering long, indicating that it would indeed bring the 4C over to U.S. shores. According to a new Automotive News report, that model will be the very first Alfa to hit the States, possibly ensuring a 2012 return.

What a fitting way to return. Sergio Marchionne is quoted as referring to the 4C as "the first Alfa Romeo car to re-enter the U.S. market." Fiat will use the model to help it meet a self-imposed late-2012 deadline for Alfa's return. The company will start selling a small number of 4Cs by the end of 2011, but a full return won't happen until mid-2013.

Cars like the Jaguar CX-75 and Porsche 918 Spyder have us pretty excited for the next-generation uses of "green" technology. These cars highlight that hybrids can compete with any car on the track, and can do it while offering a bit more efficiency. According to Edmunds, there's another hybrid supercar coming within the next few years, and it's coming from tiny specialty British automaker Bristol Cars.

M3 owners beware, because Mercedes is gunning for the top spot among two-door coupes, and they may just have done it. Sure, the AMG C63 is a badass ride, but the sportier M3 still managed to outperform it around the track, and the folks over at Mercedes were none too happy about that. So, the AMG guys sent the C63 back to the gym and what came back for 2012 was the very powerful, very intoxicating black out fast C63 AMG Black Series.

So fast and highly tuned are the Black Series models that the C63 is only the fourth model to get the Black Series treatment. That is because the Black Series is a far cry from your average E-Class sedan. There is no coddling here, no floaty suspension to snuggle up with over long, leisurely Sunday afternoon drives. Oh, no; the Black Series is a track-bred monster. Don't think so? Well, let's put it this way: when was the last time you heard of a Mercedes offering the back seat as an option?

It's been about two years since Bugatti first revealed its completely over-the-top 16C Galibier, essentially a sedan version of the Veyron. Since that time, the company has toyed with us, hinting that it would send the four-seater to production, but never quite coming out and saying it. With Veyron production all but over, and no other successor in sight, we read between the lines and figured that official 16C Galibier confirmation was on the way. And Bugatti isn't disappointing.

Reports based on a conversation between Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Durheimer and German magazine Auto Motor und Sport indicate that Bugatti's next car will indeed be a four-seater. The report is open-ended enough to believe that the new car could be based, either strictly or loosely, on the 16C concept. In addition to having four seats, the car will offer plenty of trunk space.